The first thing that comes to mind for most when they want to lose weight is cutting calories and as they begin to lose weight they find sagging skin. So how do you lose weight without going limp?
Weight loss is a formula. That’s just an important word that means that you can really predict what kind of results you will get from your efforts. You have to burn about 3,500 calories to lose a pound. By knowing your daily caloric needs based on your current size and activity level, you can regulate the number of calories you eat to lose weight.
For example, let’s say you burn about 1800 calories a day. Limit your caloric intake to 1,500 calories a day and you will consume 300 more calories a day than you eat. That means every 12 days or so you will burn a pound. Every month about 2 1/2 pounds.
Yes, there are variables, but this is a very accurate example. The problem that promotes that saggy skin look comes from how you decide to limit those calories.
When it comes to how you lose weight, one of the cruelest ironies is that our body jealously guards fat. Fat is the body’s preferred long-term fuel source and you need to convince your body that it is okay to give it up.
The other challenge is that the American diet is rich in sugars, fats, and preservatives and lacks nutrition. If you start with a mediocre diet and then simply cut calories, or join a fad diet or some other program that recommends drastically cutting calories, you will send the wrong message to the body.
The body needs protein in abundance. Protein is not just for muscles, but also for connective tissues and organs. Protein is the building block of the body and those systems that use protein will get it in one form or another and when you have a protein deficit, the body turns to the muscles to meet its protein needs.
When you lose muscle mass, you lose body tone and end up flabby. When you don’t get enough calories, you activate the defense mechanism the body uses to protect itself and latch onto fat stores.
To lose weight without going flabby, you need a three-step approach:
- Know your daily needs. Your RMR – Resting Metabolic Rate, combined with your daily activity will give you a snapshot of your daily caloric needs. Find a wellness coach to help you determine your personal numbers or use one of the many online resources.
- Create an eating plan based on your caloric needs and your weight loss goal. Your meal plan should include enough quality protein to meet your body’s needs.
- Get regular exercise, including resistance exercise to promote muscle mass.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet to meet your caloric needs and your weight loss goal will shed pounds and ensure you get enough nutrition.
Getting adequate protein will keep your organs and connective tissues healthy and promote lean muscle development, increasing your resting metabolism, making it easier to lose and maintain your weight.
Exercise will reduce stress and burn more calories. Resistance exercise will build lean muscle mass and tone the body to avoid the dreaded skin flaps.
Be patient. Rapid weight loss stories sell many products, but they usually don’t have a happy ending, as those people rarely reach or maintain their ideal weight.
A healthy plan that burns only “a couple of pounds a week” will mean more than 100 pounds a year.
Reducing calories in a healthy and balanced way will allow you to obtain the best results.